Institute Day, St. John's Catholic Prep School, Frederick, MD

Thursday, April 19, 2018 || 8:30AM - 3:00PM

"Science and Religion: The Myth of Conflict"

Many have claimed that modern science and Christian faith have been opposed historically, philosophically, and in what they say about the physical world. In his keynote, Prof. Barr will show the reverse to be true, that what has been opposed to Christian faith is not science itself but a reductive philosophy called scientific materialism and that modern science has revealed things that are deeply consonant with traditional Catholic theology.

The Institute Day is designed with Catholic secondary educators in mind but is open to 7th and 8th- grade teachers as well. During the workshop sessions, teachers will discuss and develop strategies for implementing the dialogue between science and religion into their curriculum and teaching. Participating teachers will select which colloquia and workshops they would like to attend when they register. Participants will be awarded 8 professional development contact hours. Please register here.

Keynote Presentations

Keynote 1 - "Catholicism and Evolution" - Stephen M. Barr, Ph.D.

In this talk, Dr. Stephen Barr will explain how the Catholic Church has looked at the theory of Evolution over time, and why she has never seen it as contrary to the Faith or a danger to it. It will also examine many common religious objections to Evolution and how they are mostly based on misunderstandings of Catholic doctrine or a failure to appreciate certain important insights of traditional Catholic thought. Finally, the talk will discuss human origins and Original Sin and why traditional Catholic teaching on these does not contradict Evolution.

In the words of chemist and eminent historian of science Lawrence Principe, "The idea that scientific and religious camps have historically been separate and antagonistic is rejected by all modern historians of science." And yet recent studies demonstrate that Catholic young people today adopt an "inherent warfare" model to (mis)understand the relationship between science and faith, and name their incompatibility as the #1 reason why they no longer practice their faith. In this talk, Prof. Chris Baglow will address the historical origins of the conflict/warfare model of science and religion in the American anti-Catholicism of the 19th century, and also address and offer helpful responses to popular ideologies that keep the false rumor of conflict alive today.

Workshop Topics

Workshop 1 - "Catholicism and Evolution" - Stephen Barr, Ph.D.

In this talk, Prof. Stephen Barr will explain how the Catholic Church has looked at the theory of Evolution over time, and why she has never seen it as contrary to the Faith or a danger to it. It will also examine many common religious objections to Evolution and how they are mostly based on misunderstandings of Catholic doctrine or a failure to appreciate certain important insights of traditional Catholic thought. Finally, the talk will discuss human origins and Original Sin and why traditional Catholic teaching on these does not contradict Evolution.

Much of the confusion about science and religion stem from the assumption that the Bible has already answered major scientific questions about the universe to which actual science offers rival answers. To address this misconception, Dr. Chris Baglow will explain the Catholic approach to biblical truth and its relation to scientific discovery. He will then investigate the question, "Does the Bible encourage or discourage the scientific investigation of the universe?" Finally, he will address the proper interpretation of the Genesis 1 account of creation in the light of modern science.

For many, the Galileo Affair has become the lens through which the Church's relationship to modern science is seen as one of conflict and oppression. Yet it is the sad exception to what is otherwise a glorious history of the Church's patronage and support of scientific inquiry. Beginning with Copernicus and ending with St. John Paul II, Dr. Corey Hayes will examine the trials of Galileo, the major players involved and the issues that were at play in his 1633 condemnation by the Inquisition for the sake of understanding the lessons it has for us today.

Speakers

Stephen M. Barr, Ph.D.

University of Delaware

Prof. Stephen Barr teaches physics and astronomy at the University of Delaware. In addition to his research, Dr. Stephen M. Barr has also written and lectured extensively on the relation between science and religion. He was elected to the Academy of Catholic Theology in 2010 and was awarded the Benemerenti Medal in 2007 for service to the Church. He is the President of the Society of Catholic Scientists.

He is the author of Modern Physics, Ancient Faith (2003), A Students Guide to Natural Science (2006), and more recently The Believing Scientist: Essays on Science and Religion (2016). He has also written for a variety of national publications and lectures widely on the relation of science and religion for broad academic and religious audiences.

Christopher Baglow, Ph.D.

Notre Dame Seminary, New Orleans, LA

Prof. Chris Baglow is from New Orleans, LA, where he serves Notre Dame Seminary as a Professor of Dogmatic Theology. He received his Ph.D. in Systematic Theology from Duquesne University. Baglow’s creative work includes Faith, Science, Reason: Theology on the Cutting Edge, a high school religion textbook on the relationship between the Catholic faith and modern science, and the seminary course Emergence of the Image: Human Evolution from Scientific, Philosophical and Theological Perspectives.

Since 2007 he has directed programs of Catholic academic integration at St. Mary’s Dominican H.S. (New Orleans, LA) and McGill-Toolen Catholic H.S. (Mobile, AL). He is currently working on a 2nd edition of his textbook and is Director of Foundations New Orleans, a week-long summer seminar program for Catholic high school science and theology teachers sponsored by the McGrath Institute for Church Life at the University of Notre Dame.

Cory Hayes, Ph.D.

St. Joseph Seminary College, Saint Benedict, LA

Prof. Cory Hayes is a professor of Philosophy and Theology at St. Joseph Seminary College in Covington, LA. He holds a Ph.D. in Systematic Theology from Duquesne University in Pittsburgh, PA. He has also pursued studies at the Gregorian and Angelicum universities in Rome, Italy. He and his wife Jennifer have been married for 16 years, and they have 7 children (Samantha, Abigail, Bennett, Aidan, Magdalene, Augustine, and Caeli) whom they homeschool.

His research and teaching interests include Byzantine and Eastern Christian theology, philosophy of nature, and the relation between theology, philosophy, and empirical science. With Chris Baglow, he is a facilitator for Foundations New Orleans, a week-long seminar program for Catholic science and theology teachers sponsored by the McGrath Institute for Church Life at the University of Notre Dame.

Thanks to the generous support of the John Templeton Foundation and St. John's Catholic Prep, registration is free of charge for teachers who register by April 9, 2018. After April 9, there is a late fee of $25.